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March 24th, 2010

“Along with food, clothing, water, and air, one of the very basic necessities of living ever has been and ever shall be the home. As a fundamental aspect of life itself, shelter understandably must undergo changes both minor and major in order to cozily accommodate mankind’s perpetually shifting needs and wants. Take a peek at current technologies and studies that may serve as veritable crystal balls for what may be in store for future construction projects. Keep in mind, of course, that these are merely predictions and not steadfast declarations. Time will tell whether or not they eventually come to bear fruit or current technologies veer humanity on an entirely unexpected course altogether.

1. Use of sustainable and/or organic materials

Materials engineers, contractors, and architects are already starting to take advantage of recycled, sustainable, or completely organic substances in the construction of new homes. On the synthetic end of the spectrum, for example, Serious Materials has developed an environmentally-friendly drywall known as EcoRock. This revolutionary new invention uses up to 80% less energy during production than the traditional drywall made of gypsum. Made of 80% post-industrial recycled materials – including leftovers from cement and steel factories – it is also 50% more efficient at repelling mold without the use of harmful anti-fungals, produces 60% less dust than traditional gypsum drywall, and does not release mercury into the air. At the end of its life, Serious Materials intends for EcoRock to be utilized as a pH additive in soil or recycled into another generation of drywall. Even if it ends up in a landfill, however, the material decomposes in a safe manner that leaves behind no negative environmental impacts. The company intends to release this hopefully influential new drywall in Alaska and the Western part of the United States in 2010.

Other architects look towards the natural world for inspiration, building upon the previous efforts of Frank Lloyd Wright and other organic architects. Some find creative ways to include the surrounding environment in their designs, building around pre-existing rock outcroppings, tree groves, bodies of water, and other structures. A few cutting-edge architects, however, take this concept one step further by experimenting with the use of nature itself. Magnus Larsson has sent ripples of excitement throughout the industry with Dune – his amazing use of Saharan sand and Bacillus Pasteurii bacteria to construct a 6,000 km wall that prevents further desert encroachment. Mimicking the shape of spacious tafoni, the project sets a potentially revolutionary precedent challenging other architects to design sustainable structures straight from the Earth itself.”

This was number 1 of the 10 predictions. If you liked this, please visit the site and read the rest. Very interesting.

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